Islamist Militants Gain in Syria

Islamic State militants launched assaults on Syrian forces across three provinces on Thursday that killed key government figures, including two brigadier generals, said activists and residents, in a rare confrontation between the two sides during the war.

In one assault, the jihadists besieged two military bases outside Hasakah city in Syria’s east, killing a commanding brigadier general, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group in London with a network of contacts across Syria.

The militants, wearing military uniforms, also stormed the headquarters of the ruling Baath Party, where they killed Hanna Atalla, a party leader in the city, according to the Observatory and residents in interviews. The Islamic State militants flew their black flag over the building, which had served as a government military operations center. […]